The Pinky Swear Chapter 1: Down on Pandora
by WeMissYouCarley
Summary: First chapter in the series about Rhys and Sasha from Tales from the Borderlands.


"Pinky promise?"

The two words uttered by Rhys, as he and Sasha shared their first prodigious moment together. It almost seemed like from that moment on, these two individuals who seemed to share next to nothing in common, would go on to prove that the old saying "opposites attract" was in every sense valid. That said pinky promise that the two shared on that, now looking back at it, momentous day, would eventually prove to be a monumental part of their lives.

From Sasha's perspective, she'd never in a million years had thought that this "Hyperion scumbag" and "high-corporate bootlicker" would eventually become one of the most significant and influential figures in her entire life. Perhaps even, the most important.. All of the teasing, all of the chaotic and pugnacious encounters with bloodthirsty psychopaths, all of the heartfelt moments that left her starry-eyed. It would finally hit her, square on the head, that this guy, this apparently monstrous, sadistic guy, was not as evil as she first thought.

The relationship that Rhys and Sasha would form between one another would take its time before becoming completely official. The flirtatious confrontations between them were a constant. There was no denying there were strong, almost intense feelings deep inside them. But it seemed that not one of them wanted to lay all of their cards on the table, at least not yet. Like a balloon, these feelings would keep building and building, until finally, the balloon bursts, releasing everything inside.

The enchanting beauty of the Dome is what springs into mind when their passionate feelings were almost begging, pleading to make their presence known. The moment the crew arrived in their once beat-up and broken caravan was to begin this, you could say, _romantic_ journey for the two aforementioned.

"Is it pretty from up there?" Sasha asked with a gleaming smile on her face, directed towards Rhys. Her emerald-green eyes wide open, with a look of both anticipation and excitement.

Rhys had been put on the spot, oh why did he have to mention the view from Helios? But the look on Sasha's face, the look you'd recognize on a child's as it awaits its favorite Cartoon show or ice cream cone. He couldn't bare the thought of disappointing her. And although Pandora was aesthetically atrocious in person, the view was simply breath-taking way up on that oversized 'H'.

"Like a big ol' diamond." Rhys would proclaim, not exactly the way he initially wanted to put it, as he rambled on about its resemblance to other gemstones in a sort of stuttery and nervous demeanour. Fortunately for him, Sasha got the jist of what he was explaining (horribly), and the two shared a smile with one another, with Rhys' being one of both relief, but also exhilaration to the response that Sasha gave. Maybe, just maybe, he could begin to feel more comfortable when confronting her.

The attempts at flirting didn't stop there. Sasha would catch Rhys in the act of "admiring" her as she became fascinated by one of the many radiant plants that surrounded the area. Asking Rhys what he was staring at her for turned his look of distant admiration into more of a stunned one, wide eyes and all.

"You, uh, looked like you were having fun. It was nice." He finally proclaimed, with a composure that threw even him slightly off. Sasha began to chuckle lightly.

"Don't get creepy on me now." She said in a friendly, almost playful tone. Relief shot through the veins of Rhys once more. Perhaps he was beginning to make progress? One thing was for sure, the sentence that escaped his lips wasn't exactly what he had in mind. Perhaps it was best that he kept, what he had originally intended to say, inside of his head. But with these immense feelings continuing to pick at him, wanting to burst out, perhaps it wasn't.

I guess you could say, Sasha had somewhat of a flashback when her and Rhys set off to disable the turrets in the beautiful, but treacherous jungle that settled inside the dome. Walking through a slightly-dimmed tunnel, alone with Rhys, sudden realization hit. The nervous stuttering, the awkward confrontations, the constant cheesy grins that always found their way towards her. It all made sense now.

"You're not as useless as I first thought." Sasha gestured to a bewildered Rhys, who was strolling alongside her. She was more certain than ever that Rhys was doing his best to get closer to her. The subtle, or perhaps not-so-subtle, hints were evidence enough. In her own mind, she might have thought about returning the favor herself. It was clear that she too felt something for Rhys. But perhaps the 'something' that she felt was nothing more than a slight crush.

"Yeah well, I guess you're not so bad yourself." Rhys said, with an almost satisfied tone. No matter how hard she tried, Sasha couldn't hold back her grin.

"Thanks." She uttered from just under her breath. Still with a grin from ear-to-ear. To what she may have been thinking at that moment? Most likely the irony in which the cheesy grins that Rhys was throwing her way was now the exact thing that she was aiming towards him. All she knew for certain was that, the more time she spent alone with him, the more time she got to know the real side of him. And it was the real side of him that she felt she could open up to.

The mention of August, the once fake boyfriend, now turned fake ex-boyfriend, seemed to throw Sasha off a tad bit. Explaining to Rhys that he was nothing more than a mark was the easy part, although, the way she described him was what was so off putting.

"August was a mark. Nothing more, nothing less." These being the exact words that escaped from Sasha's lips. Finding this sentence somewhat odd, Rhys was surprised in the way that she'd worded it. Nothing less would imply that there were possible feelings of some sort towards the so-called 'mark'. Confused. Rhys asks Sasha to clarify on what she meant by that. It was plain obvious that his curiosity to know was because of the feelings he felt towards her. And if there were any feelings whatsoever involved in the whole facade with August, then perhaps, in Rhys' mind, that was enough to ensure just how non-existent her feelings towards himself were. Fortunately, that wasn't the case.

"I don't know why I said that, felt like I was supposed to. You spend a certain amount of time with someone, you get to see a side of them you weren't quite expecting."

One again. Relief. Relief was all Rhys could possibly feel at this point in time. He was a lot of things, but a fool was not one of them (well, maybe not entirely). The subtle hint was as clear as day to him. Everything before and after the pinky promise, the insistence on constantly being by his side, her concerns on whether or not she'd ever see him again. Though he wasn't a hundred percent certain, no one in their right mind could be in this situation, everything up to now was telling him that, yes, it had to be. She feels the exact same way.

The jungle was a mesmerizing sight to take in. The overgrown, but fluorescent plant-life, vividly glowing with all sorts of luminous colors. For many, the most beautiful thing they had ever seen. But for Rhys? No. To him, this wasn't even a close-second. As he gazed upon Sasha, who showed her fascination in the form of yet another gleaming smile, he couldn't help but stop and stare. This was truly heaven on Pandora.

"It's just… so…" Sasha, struggling to find the perfect description for the nature surrounding them. A description fit for such a wondrous creation.

"Romantic?" Rhys interrupted from under the last bit of breath that Sasha had yet to take away from him. Sasha, unsure of what Rhys had mumbled this time, quickly turns back and shoots up, pushing him to reiterate his answer. Rhys would produce the same stunned reaction as he had done when Sasha caught him in his "distant admiration" earlier on.

"N-n-nothing… I didn't say, anything." Rhys replied, now unable to even make eye contact with the girl he'd fallen for. Embarrassment pulsed through him. Inside his head, immediate regret had filled up, wondering what kind of an idiot would say something like that. But, as Sasha continued requesting for reiteration, something burning deep inside him was almost ordering him to repeat what he had originally proclaimed. And so, he did.

"I… I, uh, said… romantic." Rhys reiterated. Clearing his throat beforehand to ensure there was no more confusion. It was out there, and although Sasha's reaction would have temporarily left Rhys unsure, the concealing smile and the crimson-red that slightly bloomed on both her cheeks throughout it sure wouldn't.

Everything up to this point on that distinct day had provided a diverse range of emotions for both Rhys and Sasha. The anticipation of knowing, but also the fear of not knowing. The joy of new feelings being discovered, but also the sadness of old ones being dug up from beneath the dirt it was buried underneath. All of these emotions, spiraling like a whirlwind inside their heads. But one seemed to elude the both of them. The one of great importance that neither would yet reveal. Love. The moment that Rhys gently placed the symbolic flower onto Sasha's delicate ear. Love. Staring into each other's eyes, if only for the briefest of seconds, as a smile arose from each others lips. Love. The light-hearted laughter that they shared between them. It was love, even if neither wanted to admit it. Every single moment that they had up to this point, it was screaming, vociferant in its own way, that this "Hyperion scumbag", that this "Pandoran Hustler"... were just meant to be with one another. Everything up to this point? One could say, perfect. Though, all good things must come to an end.

Bound by restraints, bruised and bloodied from an unfortunate series of events, and troubled by the unknowing fate of a lost companion. Rhys and Sasha were reunited once again with the audacious Fiona, the winsome bucket of bolts known as Loader Bot, and the sprightful robot known as Gortys, who would, with any luck, lead the dysfunctional crew to that elusive vault of immense riches. Their little reunion however, would prove to be short lived.

The Queenpin, Vallory, would order her henchmen to once again perform her dirty work. Her disheveled & gravelly voice was like a cancer to the ears of the weary travellers. With a fast-travel docking station nearby, the whole gang would march against their will towards it. With Rhys being the only Hyperion employee amongst them, it was he that would have to install the coordinates to ensure a safe and harmless journey to the company he had not only dreamed of working for, but also the company he would eventually deceive. Although Handsome Jack, the once "great" and "beloved" leader, was still riding shotgun inside of his skull, he was the least of his worries at that moment in time. As Rhys, now free from his restraints, prepared his short stride to the main controls, he was met by a supple whisper.

"Rhys." It said. Prompting him to casually twist his head in the direction of the murmur. His eyes were now aligned once again with the emerald-greens he'd become so familiar with. The emerald-greens that glistened like the night sky. The emerald-greens that he'd fallen in love with.

"Promise me that we'll be OK." Sasha refined, with a hint of apprehension that seemed so rare. Rhys had noticed this, and though he wasn't always the bravest, he knew that this time it would have to be him that stepped up to the plate. With a firm look of determination, one that had never looked as serious as before, he half-raised his left arm, the one closest to Sasha, and elevated his pinky, drawing her gaze towards it.

"Sasha." He whispered back, The Pandoran girl's attention now reverted back to his stern stare.

"I promise."


End file.
